As the spring semester wraps up, students are beginning to prepare for their summer internships and jobs. But what if you don’t have a position lined up for the next few months?

If that’s the case, it sounds like it might be a good idea to try applying to some last-minute opportunities for the summer.

Many companies open their application periods for the summer session during winter or spring, with the really competitive companies opening them up during the fall, so it might feel impossible to find something at this point.

While it is a smart choice to start your job and internship search early next year, you can still find something for this summer — that is, if you’re willing to put in the effort of finding an opportunity.

Medium and small companies as well as start-ups tend to put out their opportunities later in the year, according to an article from Monster.com, which means that they might still be looking for interns or workers.

 You should scroll around their websites to find if any positions are still open or, even better, be proactive and call the companies themselves to ask if they’re looking to add any more people to their summer team.

Calling companies shows that you’re being proactive, but it’s not the only way to reach out to organizations that you’d like to work for. 

Contacting connections on LinkedIn can also be an effective way to find out about vacant positions in your field. 

Additionally, you can reach out to more distant people in your social network to see what they’ve hear about, according to an article from GraduateLand.

But finding the opportunity is only part of the battle; afterwards, you’ve got to craft a resume and cover letter that not only sell you as qualified but are tailored to the specific position in the specific company that you’re applying to.

“Recruiters and hiring managers can tell within 10 seconds if you’ve sent a generic application,” the Monster.com article states. 

The best way to remedy a generic application is to use key phrases from the job description in your resume and mention the company in your cover letter so the employers can tell that you not only did your research, but also created your application just for them1.

Also very important: proof-read your cover letter, resume and application. Nothing is more disqualifying than lacking the competency or patience to read over your own work.

If all else fails and you still can’t seem to find any available internships or professional work that you’d be interested in, then try applying to work at a local summer camp. 

You’ll be making some money and it could be called a “learning experience” on your resume, for when you apply early to internships next year.